In the Midwest, Anti-ICE Democrats Are Failing America

As the Minnesota protests drag on, Democrats claim they have the moral high ground and public opinion on their side. Citing liberal pollsters, the left is intent on ignoring federal law altogether.

Ground Zero is the Midwest, including my home state of Illinois. The state has convened multiple public commissions to undermine the Trump administration’s push to deport criminal illegal aliens – named “Operation Midway Blitz” – and vilify U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement as a “paramilitary force” terrorizing the region. Meanwhile, Illinois Governor JB Pritzker – James Carville’s 2028 presidential frontrunner – continues to lean on a familiar rallying cry, “Get ICE out of our streets, communities, and cities.”

Rather than having a nuanced discussion on ICE tactics, the left’s position is to abolish ICE and reward illegal immigration. Here’s what Pritzker Democrats won’t tell American voters: If Illinois, Minnesota, and other states had simply cooperated with ICE and other federal agencies, they could have deported the worst criminal offenders in a matter of weeks, and then they could have left. Operation Midway Blitz, hence the name, was not supposed to last much more than a month.

As of this writing, Operation Midway Blitz has been active in Illinois for 157 days, yet countless criminals who have no right to be in this country remain at large. With basic cooperation, there would have been no need for ICE to enter public places to find the criminals they wanted most. ICE is now forced to confront other illegal aliens living here for a long time, detaining those who can’t show proper ID, even if they are otherwise law-abiding.

By law and by oath, detainment becomes ICE’s obligation, even though non-criminal aliens were never the priority. We should be able to work together on a path to citizenship for decent people who contribute to society and just seek the American dream.

Illinois’ so-called “leadership” is to blame. Right after President Trump’s resounding 2024 victory on the very issue of border security, Pritzker picked his side: “You come for my people, you come through me.” He repeated the same message in October, when Operation Midway Blitz was supposed to be completed.

Apparently, Pritzker’s “people” are murderers, rapists, and pedophiles who are here illegally. Why aren’t they military veterans who proudly served our country? Why aren’t they police officers trying to keep our streets safe, despite dangerous leftist rhetoric that scapegoats anyone with a badge?

Why aren’t they people like Illinois native Katie Abraham, who was killed in a drunk driving hit-and-run car wreck caused by criminal illegal alien Julio Cucul-Bol? In case Democrats forgot, Operation Midway Blitz was launched in Abraham’s honor.

Federal involvement was only necessary because of the left’s “sanctuary” policies. For years, Pritzker has sheltered criminal illegal aliens, even shelling out taxpayer-funded shelter and job assistance. How that helps Chicagoans on the South Side remains unclear.

Last December, Pritzker doubled down and strengthened sanctuary protections, releasing more than 1,700 criminal illegal aliens. That same month, ICE Director Todd Lyons sent a letter to Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul asking for help detaining the 4,000 criminal illegal aliens with an active ICE arrest detainer, including murderers and sexual predators. Raoul’s office didn’t even respond.

Illinois should be a sanctuary state – a sanctuary for U.S. citizens who want to live freely and safely. But Pritzker is playing with people’s lives and using his position as a “soapbox” to appear on late-night talk shows and tease a run for higher office.

Democrats in the Midwest have their reasons. Importing illegal aliens means importing additional congressional seats and presidential votes. It means power. That’s why the left is so opposed to election integrity reforms like the SAVE Act, which would require people to show their IDs before registering to vote and casting a ballot in the United States. Ironically, so many Illinoisans have fled the state that even mass illegal immigration can’t make up the difference. Carnegie Mellon University predicts that Illinois will actually lose two congressional seats, despite now being home to over 500,000 illegal aliens.

There is no legitimate reason to oppose voter ID laws. Governors like Pritzker, Tim Walz, and Gavin Newsom may not say the quiet part out loud, but that doesn’t make it any less true.

From Illinois to the rest of America, the people deserve more than partisan politics. And they certainly deserve better than today’s anti-ICE Democrats.